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We’re getting down to the wire, as Christmas is fast approaching! Between the myriad of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals that The Drive has covered at length, and now cherry-picking some fun potential for the right person on your list, you’ll have the title of favorite sibling, grandparent, parent, aunt/uncle, friend, Godparent, or neighbor on lock.
But that becomes especially true if you take this expertly curated list of car toys by yours truly. There’s a wide variety of gifts here for children or the child in us grown-ups. Trust me, if I could fit in the Little Tikes Jett Car Racer, you’d better believe I’d buy it for myself.
Check it out and see if there’s something you know would be a hit!
Start Them Early on Car Control: Little Tikes Jett Car Racer
Little Tikes’ massive selection of engaging action toys is great for small children, and the Jett Car Racer is no different. This is the most recent generation of the Sport Coupe, a fun piece of kit that I, and many other millennial children, dearly loved back in the ’90s.
It’s not only great for exercise, but also for developing hand-eye coordination and car control. That’s right, this thing will rip sick drifts if you get it up to speed and then unsettle it with the weird joystick steering system. I’m pretty sure it’s granddad the Sport Coupe is the reason why I love having fun with cars today. People say karting is what kids start out in to become professional race car drivers, but that’s an immense financial undertaking. Save a big piece of scratch and buy this for the kid or kids on your list instead. It comes in pink, too, and is currently under 100 bucks at just $98 (originally $119.99), shipped.
A Big Mess of Cars: Hot Wheels Set of 50 1:64 Scale Toy Trucks and Cars
50 Hot Wheels for just over $60? Yes, please! Plus, you get a randomly curated box. That’s a helluva win-win. Shoot, I might be buying this for myself.
Hot Wheels are a cornerstone of car enthusiasm. What’s neat about this, is it might help kids develop a more well-rounded appreciation for all kinds, as well as greatly expand the bounds of their vehicular knowledge.
Baby’s First Powered Propulsion: Power Wheels Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler
This kills several important birds with one stone. Developing an interest in dinosaurs? Check. Jeeps? Check. And powered vehicles teaching them how to drive? Check! It won’t teach a kid too much about car control (at least while 100% stock…), nor will it be a high-speed sensation, but it’s a fun little rig nonetheless. I bet it can be hacked and modified, though, so you can upgrade the voltage as the kid’s skills develop, potentially also turning it into a drift machine. The accessory lights are neat, too.
Its price is a tad steep at $349.99, but think of the memories it’d create!
Further Driving Skill Development: New Star Foodservice Blue Plastic Fast Food Tray
You know exactly what these are for. Rather than committing larceny at your local McDonald’s, why not pick up a pack of cafeteria trays for the ultimate in cheap oversteer fun? I’m not being a smartass either, as if you want to teach a young driver what it’s like to lose the rear end and then either safely stop or recover, here’s your chance for a very minimal cost.
Or, ya know, use them purely for vehicular enjoyment at just $35.97 for a pack of 12. We can’t comment on where or when to use them, but it’s a good idea to obey local laws, as well as respect both public and somebody else’s private property. Recycle the ones that you burn though, too.
Make CW McCall Proud: TEMI Toddler Carrier Truck Transport
The song Convoy by CW McCall might go over a toddler’s head, but at least the thrill and sensation of utilizing truck transport can be scaled down for their enjoyment. Kids love toy trucks of all shapes and sizes, and this set is especially suited for children who also digs cars. It’s not a bad deal at $32.99 either!
The TEMI Toddler Carrier Truck Transport appears to not only help develop motor skills but could also develop appreciation and respect for the men and women who keep our country moving in the logistics industry. I live in Southern California and I’ve seen more than a few folks cut off poor semi-truck drivers. Clearly, they didn’t play with stuff like this when they were kids.
A Good Haul: Fistone RC Truck Detachable Flatbed Semi-Trailer Engineering Tractor
This is one of the radder RC toys I’ve seen: a Mercedes flatbed truck with all kinds of toggles to operate it. One could utilize it to haul other RC cars, diecast scale models, whatever, too. The controls seem a bit confusing, so make sure you—er, the kid on your list—reads the instructions before operation.
Check it out at just $79.99, 9% off its original price at the time of writing.
One Wild RC Car: Hosim 2845 Brushless 60+ KMH 4WD High Speed RC Monster Truck
This RC car is intense. It can reach over 37 mph, it’s waterproof, and designed to take on all kinds of terrain. This isn’t necessarily for young children, as it could do some damage if driven or launched into a building, car, or group of people, but this would be a riot to mess around with in a big open field. You can also build some jumps and make a large puddle the landing zone.
The action-packed potential is limitless! It’s also listed for $119.98, 20% off of its original price.
A High-Quality Scale Model: Bburago 1:18 Scale Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 Diecast Vehicle
Everyone needs a good-quality scale model, and Italian company Bburago is up there with brands that build the best. This here’s a real cherry of the 1:18 scale variety, too: a 997 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0.
Speaking from personal experience, I had two Bburagos growing up: a Ferrari F50 and a 964 Porsche 911 Turbo. Both were crucial to developing my deep interest in all things cars. The same could go for any kid on your list. You could also just pick one up for yourself at just $44.90, which is a whole 25% off the original price.
Motorsports Gold: Bburago B18-28013 1:24 Porsche 911 RSR GT
Tantamount to starting kids off on the right car-loving foot with scale production cars, is giving them a scale race car. In this instance, the heavenly-sounding Porsche 911 RSR GT. I believe it’s technically a 991.2 for the GTE class, but nevertheless, what a badass little model. Make sure if you gift this to somebody that you show them the aforelinked YouTube video, too, and watch a few other videos of this beast for good measure. It’s one of the best Porsche race cars ever produced.
Plus, it’s only $27.98. What a deal!
Powered Production Fun: TGRCM-CZ 1/36 Scale G63 Casting Car Model
Finally, we come to our last scale model: this badass little G Wagen. It’s a 1:36 scale model of the legendary AMG G63 and has great detail. Like most of the toys above, this is something I’d totally just buy for myself, honestly. Pique kids’ interest in unique, off-road-capable-yet-immensely-fast-on-the-street trucks with this cool piece of kit that costs just $13.99.
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